Sieć Obywatelska Watchdog Polska

Description

Sieć Obywatelska Watchdog Polska (Citizens Network Watchdog Poland) is an independent, apolitical, non-profit public-benefit organization based in Warsaw. It has been active for more than 20 years, working for transparency in public life, good governance and accountability of power to citizens.

Its mission is to protect human rights, in particular the right of access to public information, which it regards as a foundation of democratic society. It has held public-benefit status since 2009.

The organization believes citizens have the right to know how their state and local governments work, what decisions offices make, how public money is spent, and what institutions actually do. As a watchdog, it monitors those in power, asks questions, and demands answers.

Its activities include citizen oversight through requests for public information and questions to institutions on socially important topics, and free legal advice, helping people exercise their rights and file applications and complaints through a dedicated service. They also include participation in court cases concerning transparency and civic rights, monitoring and data analysis, reporting how power operates, and civic education and training, including courses, meetings and digital materials teaching people to monitor power and use the right to information.

It reports having given around 14,000 pieces of advice, written about 170 legal opinions or positions, filed roughly 1,300 requests, been party to around 1,350 court cases, and trained about 12,000 participants.